Russia's Putin briefs PM Modi on Trump talks in Alaska; India reiterates call for peace in Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who shared his assessment of a recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska.

Modi underlined India’s consistent position in favour of diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the Ukraine conflict, while also discussing bilateral ties with the Russian leader.

“Thank my friend, President Putin, for his phone call and for sharing insights on his recent meeting with President Trump in Alaska. India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard. I look forward to our continued exchanges in the days to come,” Modi posted on X.



During the conversation, Putin shared his assessment of his talks with Trump in Alaska last week.

While thanking Putin, Modi “underlined India’s consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue” and reiterated that “India supports all efforts in this regard,” the government said.

The two leaders also touched on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation “with a view to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia.”

The Prime Minister and his Russian counterpart, President Putin agreed to remain in close touch following the conversation.

New Delhi strikes a balance between Russia, US

The call came two days after New Delhi welcomed the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, calling their leadership in the pursuit of peace “highly commendable.”

“India appreciates the progress made in the Summit. The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine,” the Ministry of External Affairs had said on Saturday.

Highly placed sources told ET that India’s message was directed at both Ukraine and the European Union, urging them to work towards a final peace settlement rather than prolonging the conflict.

India is also watching closely the economic fallout of the summit. Trump had claimed that Russian oil sales were “fuelling war efforts,” and had imposed additional 25% tariffs on Indian imports because of New Delhi’s purchases from Moscow. Officials in Delhi hope a ceasefire could help roll back those duties.

In a post-summit interview with Fox News, Trump suggested that he may delay implementing any secondary or penalty tariffs, indicating that India might not face extra sanctions on top of the existing 50% tariffs.

Asked about tariffs on China, which buys even more Russian oil, Trump said: “Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now. I think you know, the meeting [with Putin] went very well.”